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The Huffington Post | By Cavan Sieczkowski Posted: 01/19/2013 1:34 pm EST | Updated: 01/19/2013 6:04 pm EST

A gunman reportedly attempted to assassinate the leader of Bulgaria’s Turkish ethnic party during a televised conference on Saturday.

The leader of Bulgaria’s Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) party, Ahmed Dogan, was assaulted by a gunman while on stage at the National Palace of Culture (NDK) in Sofia, according to the Sofia Globe. The assailant, 25-year-old Oktai Enimehmedov, climbed onstage and held a gun to Dogan’s head, but the gun reportedly got stuck and was unable to shoot.

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The Times also reports that the gun appeared to misfire, giving Dogan enough time to bat away the gunman’s arm before he was assisted by security guards.

Dogan and the gunman wrestled on stage before security raced to apprehend the assailant, amid loud boos from the crowd, according to The Sun.

Enimehmedov was also reportedly beaten by delegates and other officials in the crowd, according to Noinite, a Sofia news agency. “He was not in a good shape, there was blood on his face,” said Prosecutor Nikolay Kokinov. “He told us his version about what motivated him, but I will not discuss it at this point.”

Along with the gas pistol, Enimehmedov was also armed with two knives. The Bourgas native has two prior convictions, including causing bodily harm in 2006 and drug possession in 2010, the Sofia Globe reports.

As for the 58-year-old Turkish official, he is doing fine. “Ahmed Dogan is in good health. Everything is under control,” MRF official Ceyhan Ibryamov told Reuters on Saturday.

The liberal MRF party represents ethnic Turks and Muslims, who make up roughly 12 percent of Bulgaria’s population, according to Reuters. Dogan is seen as one of the most influential political figures. The conference was scheduled to elect a new leader to succeed Dogan, according to the Associated Press, who is stepped down after nearly 25 years.

Lyutvi Mestan, the man expected to replace Dogan, told the AP “the true reason for the assault was the language of hatred and confrontation.”

PHOTO:
ASSASSINAT-BULGARIE-570
Image grab from video shows a man identified as Oktai Enimehmedov, 25, as he points a weapon at Ahmed Dogan, left, leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, during his speech at his party’s congress in Sofia, on Saturday Jan. 19, 2013. (AP Photo/ BTVnews)

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Gas pistol pointed at Bulgaria party leader

Associated Press – 18 hrs ago

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Associated Press/ BTVnews – Image grab from video shows a man identified as Oktai Enimehmedov, 25, as he points a weapon at Ahmed Dogan, left, leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, during his speech …more

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarian police detained a man after he pointed a gas pistol at an ethnic Turkish party leader as he was delivering a speech at a party caucus in the capital Saturday. No shots were fired.

The video from the Saturday event in Sofia shows the man climbing the podium where Ahmed Dogan, the leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, was speaking, and pointing the gun to his face.

Dogan struck the man before he could pull the trigger, while other delegates wrestled the assailant to the ground. TV footage showed several people punching, kicking and stomping on the man when he was on the ground.

Police arrested him and took him to a hospital. It wasn’t immediately clear if he sustained serious injuries, or how he got past security to enter the hall with nearly 3,000 people attending.

Eventually, the attacker was identified by police as 25-year-old Oktai Enimehmedov, a Bulgarian national and ethnic Turk, from the coastal city of Burgas. He was carrying the gas pistol and two knives. A gas pistol is a non-lethal weapon used for self-defense, but experts say when fired from close range it can cause life-threatening injuries.

Interior Minister Tsvevtan Tsvetanov told journalists that the assailant had a criminal record for drugs possession, robberies and hooliganism.

The liberal MRF party mainly represents ethnic Turks and other Muslims in Bulgaria, who make up 12 percent of its 7.3-million population.

The conference had to elect a new leader to succeed Dogan, who is one of the Balkan country’s most influential political figures. The 58-year-old has been at the helm of the party since founding it in 1990.

Lyutvi Mestan, who was expected to become the new party leader, said “the true reason for the assault was the language of hatred and confrontation.”

Saturday’s assault was the gravest attack on a politician in post-communist Bulgaria after the 1996 killing of ex-Prime Minister Andrei Lukanov.

The German government’s human rights commissioner, Markus Loening, was at the party caucus in Sofia on Saturday, and witnessed the incident, the German Foreign Ministry said. “I am very happy that Ahmed Dogan was not injured,” Loening said in a statement. “Political violence must never again gain a foothold in Europe.”

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Ahmed Dogan Assassination Attempt: Gunman Aims Gun At Bulgarian Politician’s Head (PHOTO, VIDEO)

Gas pistol pointed at Bulgaria party leader

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